Computers have become an essential part of modern business. Through advances in chip design and manufacture, the cost of personal computers has dropped dramatically in recent years to the point where such personal computers are affordable by most consumers. As part of an effort to lower manufacturing costs, manufacturers have been looking for ways to more easily, reliably and flexibly assemble their computers.
While much attention has been paid to advances in chip design and manufacture, comparatively little effort has been put into optimizing the input and output connections to a personal computer. The input connections for a personal computer often involves input ports for a keyboard, mouse, joystick, microphone, video feed and, more recently, multi-use universal serial bus (“USB”) connectors. The output connections for a personal computer often involve output ports for a printer, video monitor, modem and audio loudspeakers.
Thus far, a patch work of approaches has been used for installing input/output connector ports onto a computer. Historically, connector ports have been located at the rear of the computer housing where they are difficult for the user to access. In the case of audio and visual connector ports, they have often been built as part an electrical circuitboard which must then be screwed onto the computer housing. Other connectors, such as USB and high speed communications connectors, have been wrapped in a plastic plug which again must be screwed onto the computer housing. All of this screwing of connector ports onto a computer housing is labor intensive and, therefore, expensive. Moreover, present techniques for installing connector ports onto a computer housing allow little flexibility to change the type of connector ports being used if the manufacturer wants to use the same connector assembly for both high end computers with many connector ports and low end computers with fewer connector ports.
What is needed is an improved computer input/output connector assembly design which allows connector ports to be easily connected to the computer housing and provides the flexibility to quickly change the type of connector ports being used with the computer housing.